eet agin, I
undertook to do it all. I not only meant to put us on our feet, but to git
us ready fur runnin', too. Boys, I hev took 'The Gall-yun' from the
Spaniards ag'in an' she's waitin' fur us."

"What! what!" they cried in chorus. "You don't mean it, Sol?"

"I shorely do mean it. All the boats that they expect to use to-day wuz
anchored in the bi-yoo or hay-yoo or whatever they call it. 'The
Gall-yun,' our gall-yun, wuz at the end o' the line nearest to the big
river. Nobody wuz on board, but she wuz tied to the boat next to her. I
slipped on her--it was pow'ful dark then an' the Spaniards wuz keepin' a
slip-shod watch, anyhow--cut the rope an' floated her down the stream,
where I've tied her up under sech thick brush that nobody 'cept ourselves
is likely to find her. She'll be thar, waitin' fur us, an' don't you doubt
it. An' fellers all our rifles an' ammunition an' things are on her. It
wuz the captain's boat, an' I s'pose he thought he might ez well hev them
trophies, an' use 'em."

"Is this really true, Sol?" exclaimed Paul, although he did not doubt.

"Gospel truth. We're jest ez well off ez we wuz afore we wuz captured. I
don't think, either, them Spaniards will miss 'The Gall-yun' until
mornin'. So we kin be up an' away with somethin' o' a start."

"Lead on, Sol," said Henry.

Sol led, and resumed the noiseless Indian file. They found the good ship,
"The Galleon," under the overhanging bushes where Sol had left her, and
rejoicingly they took possession again of the boat, their arms, and
supplies.

"Now for New Orleans and the Governor General," said Paul, as they pushed
out into the bayou. There was no current here, but their powerful arms at
the oars soon sent the boat into the Mississippi. There they set the sail
which had been left unchanged, and as a good wind caught it they went on
at a quickening pace. Wind, current, and oars combined made the low banks
pass swiftly by.

It was now the darkest hour and all things were veiled. Each felt a great
satisfaction. They had the courage, after such a great and skillful
escape, to attempt anything.

"It's only lately that I've been gittin' friendly with the Missip," said
Shif'less Sol. "It's a pow'ful big river an' a new one, but me an' this
river are already jest like brothers. It ought all to belong to us people
o' Kentucky. When we git to be a great big settled country, hev we got to
float everything down it, right in among the Spaniards or the Fren